The King's Speech

My wife, Betty, and I went to see The King's Speech last night. We both really enjoyed it, and I left the theater in a very emotional state.

The King's Speech is about how King George VI of England rises to the throne, deals with his stuttering, and overcomes his fear of public speaking to give a radio address to the nation at the brink of World War II - with the help of an unorthodox speech therapist.

The King's Speech has been nominated for several Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Oscars, and it definitely lived up to all of its hype. Colin Firth was fantastic as King George. The few characters that have stuttered in movies usually do it so over the top or their stammering is limited to repetitions, but Firth had it all down pat - the repetitions, the blocking, the secondary characteristics, and mostly the anger at not being able to get something out. I saw so much of myself in his character that sometimes it was painful (but cathartic) for me to watch.

Geoffrey Rush was brilliant as King George VI's speech therapist, Lionel Logue. Watching him interact with King George brought back a lot of good memories about my own therapy. Betty and I had a good chat about some of the techniques used to help the king, like relaxation and breathing exercises, saying nursery rhymes, and loosening up the muscles in the jaw.

But my favorite character - and the one that I haven't really seen or heard of anyone talking about - is King George's wife, Elizabeth, played by Helena Bonham Carter. She was so supportive of her husband throughout his struggles. She sought out therapists for him, encouraged him, loved him, and - so rare for a person who stutters - actually listened to him. She reminded me so much of my own wife, and it made me happy that King George VI and I have more than just stuttering in common - we also both have wonderful spouses.

It's very rare that we stutterers have someone who truly listens to us. On a daily basis I'm plagued by miscommunication and with people who don't have the patience to just wait for what I have to say.

I remember when Betty and I were looking for a new van for the family, and the salesperson helping us finished off all of my sentences for me - and usually finished them off incorrectly, making the search for a new vehicle more frustrating than normal. I remember arguing with my computer science teachers, who were usually foreign and had a hard enough time understanding English as a second language, much less understanding me when I spoke. I remember when a coworker was astounded that stuttering could be genetic, as he thought it was due to my mom not paying enough attention to me. And I remember when a boss once told me that my speech makes other people feel uncomfortable, and that I should just not talk in meetings. (The same boss didn't like long emails, but I think I communicate the clearest over email. Go figure.)

I'd like to say thank you to the cast and crew of The King's Speech for giving us stutterers a voice. I also want to thank my parents and family, my friends, my speech therapists and my wife for always being patient with me and hearing what I have to say, and not necessarily how I say it.